Although he may be individualistic, annoying, sometimes even arrogant, Kylian Mbappé remains a formidable asset for his team on the pitch. Friday evening, by scoring a double for the France team against the Netherlands (2-1), the captain of the Blues qualified his selection for the next Euro in Germany.
Mbappé set the record straight, ending a drought of four meetings with Paris Saint-Germain, and in style.
Olivier Giroud in the crosshairs
Heated for his match at Newcastle in the Champions League, the Bondynois recalled that a great player does not think for long. This performance in Amsterdam allowed him to enter a little more into the great history of the France team: at only 24 years old, he is already in fourth place in the ranking of the Blues’ top scorers, in 72 caps. After having overtaken Zinédine Zidane, Raymond Kopa and Just Fontaine at full speed, Kylian Mbappé has now grilled another French legend, Michel Platini. And it’s only a matter of time now before he catches up and then overtakes Olivier Giroud, who is only 12 goals ahead.
From his prodigious debut in Monaco, Kylian Mbappé has proven that he is of another caliber. And if he has not yet achieved all his objectives, notably at club level with the Champions League and on an individual level with the Ballon d’Or, the Parisian striker has already accomplished more than 99% of current players. Having become the top scorer in the history of PSG last season, just that, Mbappé is above all a man of big meetings.
However, some tend to trivialize the World Cup that he achieved and won in Russia in 2018, at only 19 years old. The same goes for the last edition in Qatar, with eight goals scored, including a hat-trick in the final. A unique feat which almost brought a third star to the Blues. It is not for nothing that Didier Deschamps designated him as the successor to Hugo Lloris for the captaincy: if he is not a great vocal leader in the locker room, Mbappé shows the way to his people on field.
A temperament to accept at PSG
Speed and finishing have always been his strong points since the start of his career, and the striker has been trying to evolve in recent weeks by being creative. If he obviously does not have the technique of Neymar or the vision of the game of Messi, Kylian Mbappé is far from being ridiculous in this exercise as some claim. Obviously, he can still do better but with an average of 15 assists per season, the Parisian striker knows how to be altruistic. Comparing him to a simple sprinter is terribly simplistic.
We’re not going to tell you, Mbappé has a strong personality. And obviously, there is a flip side of the coin which is not negligible: he remains unpredictable in his communication and his actions. Like the soap opera of his extension at PSG, the striker likes to take the spotlight and make the media think: the pivot gang, the penaltygate, Kylian Saint-Germain, the barbs to his leaders… Last season again, we had was treated to a recital of futile polemics. We would obviously like to do without all that, but we have to accept the character as he is, as exasperating as he is at times.
